The Legacy of the Dragon
by V. al'Tharin
Summary: Post AMoL, follows the story of a group of six Dedicated as they begin a pilgrimage that will take them from the most backwater of villages to the grandest of cites as they discover what it will take to be Asha'man. Set nearly a century after the Last Battle.


_Disclaimer: All the usual disclaimers apply. I do not seek any monetary gain from this story, characters from the WoT series belong to Robert Jordan's estate and Brandon Sanderson._

 **Chapter 1 – To Be Judged**

Vandin al'Tharin had never been so nervous in his life. He stood outside the entrance to the large ceremonial Hall of the Black Tower with five other men. Inside the Hall, the Council had been deliberating the fate of his ajah. They had all come up in the Tower together. They had lived in the Barracks as Soldiers, and took up rooms near each other once they were Pinned Dedicated and allowed to live in the Tower proper.

He turned his head and offered a small smile to the man on his right. Osyas Salyne had the hard edges and stoic demeanor of his Malkieri heritage. All the men of Vandin's ajah were like brothers to him, but Osyas was his closest friend and confidante. He had arrived at the Tower on the same day as Vandin, and they were so often in one another's company that many said it was odd to see one without the other.

"I wonder if they take this long for every group." Jarid Lothin said quietly in the clipped accent of his native Cairhien. By all outward appearances, the young man was as prim and proper as any nobleman. If you got some wine, or maybe a flagon of ale, in him, however, and he could curse and dice with the worst Sailor from Tear. Vandin shrugged. They had been standing outside of the Hall for the better part of the morning.

From all the rumors he was able to put together, Jarid was able to piece together what might be going on inside. The Council, a group of 28 Asha'man, would be going over every detail of the ajah's time at the Tower. The Council consisted of the men who were responsible for training, educating, and for the well-being of every Soldier and Dedicated in the Tower. They would give their assessment to the Aman, and he would judge them. Not just as individuals, but on how well they contributed to the ajah.

Looking at the men around him, Vandin felt himself grow calmer. Adim Farshalin, to his left, was born not far from the Tower, in Camelyn. Theral Cag, a handsome copper-skinned Domani, had as sharp a wit as anyone Vandin had ever met. It got the youth in trouble more than it got him out of it. Lastly, there was Cain Noro. He was a slight lad with a perpetually boyish face. As the other men of the ajah had started to grow beards, he simply got taller. It made him seem even younger, oddly. He was also immensely strong in the Power. He would rival the Aman one day. Born in Ebou Dar, he was exiled once it was discovered he could channel. He could have stayed and been conscripted into the Seachan army – leashed by a couple of Sul'dam. He chose exile and a life of his own choosing. Vandin admired him greatly for that choice.

Just as he was starting to think something was wrong, the large black doors swung open. A tall man with gray hair at his temples stepped out of the Hall and regarded the group. Arath Noriar waited until the doors closed behind him before speaking. As the Aran'al'Aman, he stood just below the Aman in the hierarchy of the Tower. His station was reflected by the blue and silver Dragons embroidered on the sleeves of his black coat. Vandin had only spoken to the man twice before. Once, when he had allowed himself to get caught up in a prank that Theral had come up with. The second time, he never wanted to think about again.

"You have been ordered to appear before the Aman and the Council. Today, your time as Dedicated of the Black Tower ends – one way or another."

Arath's gray eyes took all of them in turn. That stare could have a man confessing to crimes he never thought of committing. "If you are ready, we shall begin." Not waiting for a response, he turned toward the doors. He seized Saidin, the glow of the power surrounding the man, and wove threads of Air, pushing the doors open.

Swallowing his hesitation and doubt, Vandin nodded and stepped into the Hall, the others filing in behind him. The massive circular room that was the Hall of the Black Tower was lit by a large domed window that served as the ceiling. Power-wrought, it appeared as black as the body of the Tower from the outside and the pointed shape of the window gave the impression that the Tower was a gigantic sword. The floor of the Hall was a gleaming black marble, split by a deep red carpet that ran from the entrance of the room to the dais where the Aman sat. Spaced throughout the Hall sat 28 members of the Aman's Council. All were formally dressed, the Sword and Dragon pins on their black coats gleaming in the sunlight streaming into the room from overhead. The group followed the Aran'al'Aman, stopping infront of the dais and kneeling.

The Aman, Logain Ablar, stood. As one, the Council followed suit. The gold and crimson dragons embroidered on the Aman's coat sleeves seemed to writhe as he moved off the dais and toward the kneeling Arath. "Rise, my brother," he said, his deep voice soft but loud enough to be heard by everyone in attendance. The Aran'al'Aman stood. "You have brought six Dedicated into the Hall of the Asha'man," Logain continued formally, gesturing to the still kneeling men. "Why are they here today?"

"My Lord Aman, I have brought to you these Dedicated of the Black Tower so they might hear your judgment. They have been trained. They have been tested. They are ready to be tried." Arath replied. He sounded oddly proud. Strange man.

"Very well, Before I proclaim my judgment of these Dedicated, does any Asha'man wish to add to the testimony that has already been provided?" Logain gave the gathered Council time to speak. None did. "Once my judgment is rendered, whatever these men have done before this day will be forgotten and never spoken of again by any brother of the Black Tower." Logain intoned.

Vandin ran through every mental exercise he had been taught to keep himself from shaking. Logain turned and stepped back onto the dais, Arath following and standing to the Aman's right.

"Dedicated of the Black Tower, you may rise."

Vandin and the others stood. Logain regarded them with an appraising expression. It was hard not to be awed by the man. He had fought the Dark One's forces alongside every legendary figure Vandin had heard stories about since he was a child in Baerlon. He had known the Dragon himself almost a century ago.

"I have made my judgment of you, Vandin al'Tharin, Admin Farshalin, Osyas Salyne, Cain Noro, Jal Lothin, and Theral Cag." Logain said finally. He stared hard at Theral. The lad had caused a decent amount of trouble at the Tower. Vandin heard him audibly gulp under the gaze of the Aman. Finally, Logain smiled.

"You have been found worthy to begin the trials of the Asha'man. Tomorrow, you shall leave the Tower and begin your pilgrimage. You are charged to learn of the lands and the people of which you will one day be a guardian. You will heal the sick and the injured. You will educate the ignorant. You will defend justice where it need be defended. In two years' time, I will meet you on the slopes of Shayol Ghul. There, if you have served the land well, I shall proclaim you Asha'man. Go forth from the Tower in the Light."

One by one, the members of the Council came forth, clasping the hands of the men and wishing them well on their journey. Some offered advice for when they arrived at a certain town or city. Others simply cautioned them, with eyes firmly on Theral, not to get into too much trouble. Finally, Logain and Arath stepped down of the dais.

"I trust my faith in you is not misplaced." Logain said, resting a hand on Vandin's shoulder. "When you depart, you will have no instructors to tell you what to do and how to do it. You must rely on yourself and the men of your ajah." He clasped each man's hand, wished them well, and departed the Hall.

Arath looked solemnly at the group before offering his instruction. "Your pilgrimage will begin tomorrow at dawn. You will gather in the front courtyard where I will prepare a gateway for you to the Two Rivers. You have been well versed in the trials the Lord Dragon faces on his journey to defeat the Dark One. You will follow in his footsteps. You are forbidden the use of gateways during your pilgrimage except in dire emergency. You will spend the rest of the day in contemplation with your ajah." He paused, a slight smile on his lips. "Do well, lads. I look forward to your return to the Tower as Asha'man."

With that he departed, leaving the men alone in the Hall. It felt much bigger now that they were the only inhabitants. As if completely unbothered by the weight of the responsibility and trust that was just placed in them, Theral let out a large whoop of celebration. "We did it, lads!" he exalted, jumping onto Osyas' back and thrusting his arm in the air. Even the Malkieri wasn't able to hold back a grin at the man's jubilation. Jarid clicked his tongue at the display but he too was smiling. All of them were grinning except Cain. He looked worried.

"If we're retracing the Dragon's footsteps, we'll have to go to Ebou Dar, won't we?" he asked grimly. Vandin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The treaty will hold, Cain. We'll be on Pilgrimage. The Seachan Empress herself agreed to the terms with the Aman. You'll be safe. I promise you."

Finally, Cain smiled. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, but I know I wouldn't want to go out there with anyone else. Thank you, brothers."

Vandin smiled, and together, they left the Hall.

 _Authors notes: Alright, so a couple thoughts before I get too far into this story. I am a huge fan of the Wheel of Time series. My spouse read me the first couple books and like any good addiction, I quickly tore my way through the rest of the series. I wanted to explore what happened after the Dark One was resealed, and I figured the best way to do that was to give an outside perspective. We'll be learning what happened to the heroes of WoT along with our Asha'man-in-Training. As this takes place nearly 100 years after the Last Battle, some of our heroes will obviously not be in the story. Not everyone can live a few centuries! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!_

 _Oh and I used the term "Aman" because I figured Logain was kind of full of himself, so why wouldn't the leader of the Asha'man take the old tongue word for "Dragon" as a title. His Aran'al'Aman (literally translated to "Right Hand of the Dragon") is obviously the Black Tower version of the KotC._


End file.
